NBA Betting Picks: Milwaukee Bucks at Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns lost 99-91 to the Memphis Grizzlies Thurs night to fall to 19-12 on the season but the club is much better than expected behind the solid backcourt play of Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe.

Dragic leads the Suns in scoring with 18.9 points per game and Bledsoe contributes 18 per game, as well. The uber athletic Gerald Green is chipping in 13 points per game and the team has a host of depth in the form of Markieff Morris, Channing Frye and second-year forward Miles Plumlee. The Suns rank 11th in the NBA in scoring with 103.3 points per game, and the team has been actively seeking trades to upgrade the surprisingly good roster.

Things have been far different for the 7-25 Milwaukee Bucks, one of the worst clubs in the NBA. Milwaukee’s biggest problem has just been generating offense. The team lost its backcourt rotation of Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings and J.J. Redick via trades and free agency, and the replacements of Brandon Knight, O.J. Mayo and Caron Butler have not been anywhere near as effective.

Knight leads the team in scoring with just 14.7 points per game, and the only real positive for the Bucks has been the development of forward John Henson, who averages 12.4 points, eight rebounds and 2.3 blocks on the season. The Bucks will be hoping for a high pick in the loaded 2014 NBA draft class to reverse fortunes, but the biggest problem will likely always be that free agents just don’t want to play in Milwaukee.

MIL TRENDS: OVER 7-1 in last 8 following an SU loss; UNDER 12-2-2 in last 16 vs teams with winning percentages above .600; OVER 4-1 in last 5 following ATS loss

PHX TRENDS: UNDER 4-0 in last 4 on 1 days rest; OVER 4-0-1 in last 5 vs teams with winning percentages below .400; 4-0 ATS in last 4 home games vs teams with road winning percentages below .400

Head-to-head: OVER 13-5-1 in last 19 meetings; OVER 7-3 in last 10 in Phoenix.